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We all know that medical practice in any field is a noble profession; but what is little known are unique lessons that we should learn from the mindset of a medical practitioner. We are talking about just a good physician, leave alone successful ones.

Let us look at what does psychology of a physician teach us:

Managing conflict of interestGetting into medical profession entails lot of efforts, time and money worldwide. It is natural that motto of getting into this field for most is earning name, fame and wealth.
It is also clear that every visit to or by a physician fetches a fee for him/her.
Now, a physician is faced with conflict of interest – treat his/her patients or customers for self-interest or serve them selflessly. Good doctors would always manage this conflict by rising above self and greed, and serve customers keeping in mind their interests. They prescribe minimum medicines and pathological tests and discourage patients to make frequent visits. Many have grace to charge less fees from those, who can’t afford.
Let us draw a parallel to above the stock options scheme in corporates for employees and top management. Such options have a singular motive of driving employees to perform well, so that company profitability improves, which in turn would reward employees with more options. But, when it comes to top management, conflict of interest creeps in – should company performance improve to increase value of his/her substantial stocks or should it improve to increase values for customers and employees, even if it means slight dent in company’s profitability? Many CEOs allegedly and subtly act in favor of the former – serving self-interest.

Maximum availabilityA physician is available 24×7 to his/her patients, at least in India. Their work-life balance is heavily tilted towards work.
I am not suggesting that it is good for them, although it is good for their customers. What is more significant lesson is that they don’t make any excuse for non-availability. Their dedication for duties is total.

Memory managementDid you notice that a good doctor’s memory is very good. He/she would remember history of his/her patients correctly, correct medicines’ name, spelling (usually complex), potency and names of manufacturers for innumerable number of ailments and case histories of other patients.
What is the key – inbuilt sharper brain or they pop up some pills to sharpen their memory? Not any of these. It is registering the information without any conflict in mind and recalling it without any stress.

Motto of service to customersA physician’s actions are completely oriented towards his/her customers and obtaining the results for which they have approached him/her. They never compromise their attitude to serve.

Maximum confidence and concentrationSuccessful practitioners give their advice or prescription with total confidence and rarely side or back track. Their focus on duties is deep.They are never shaken by patient’s condition, however adverse and do maintain their composure effortlessly. They are attached to their duties but detached from their customers while serving them unflinchingly.

Marvelous understanding of their own bodyIn leadership programs or schools, reference to this quality is by and large missing. It is extremely important to understand how you or your body would react to different situations, what triggers your emotions and how to manage the same.
Doctors do very well on above count and hence, rarely fall sick or fall prey to sickening situations.A good leader needs to understand his/her body (including mind) well in order to be robust, consistent and persistent in his/her pursuits.

So, a good physician is a great case study at business schools and organizations!

Stop having regrets or remorse, being diffident or defeatist, if you did not get to the top by your position, ranking, score or else! If you are 2nd or lower in your position, do you know that you have several silver linings beneath and opportunities on the horizon now to race for the top with greater competence and capabilities? I have observed the most people instead of accepting the realities, they get disappointed and demoralized and in the process, they fail to see never-seen–before possibilities emerging and benefit from brighter prospects unveiled now!

What can you lose, when you are on the Top

When you reach to the top (of an organization, competition, accomplishments, passion or pursuit), your mind set changes. You have new found excitement and expectations; so also ego and emotions. Once you are there, you need to manage such new scenario for self. There are umpteen examples, say in Corporates, where top performers were recognized by elevating them to top position; but they could not perform. They were besieged by pressure to perform, fear of failure or nervousness for having nothing above (or below) to fall back!
Often, people at the top see end of the road ahead, after sometimes, when euphoria dies and hard realities descend; rather than seeing or creating opportunities ahead. This, inevitably throw them into defensive and denial mode.
And that is the start of their downward journey.

Your success to the top or be first can make you over-confident and then, arrogant. You lose, at that point, sense of sound judgment, sanity and empathy.

By virtue of your success, if you shoot into fame and fortune, power and popularity, you are dumbfounded or dazed how to manage the same. History has shown that many leaders, sportsmen, writers, artists and celebrities got into dejection and depression mode.
Famous author JK Rowling of Harry Potter books has revealed recently how she could not handle her success and shine, and had to undergo therapy due to clinical depression! There are many such live examples of singers and leaders.

You can become poor listener.

You tend to be autocratic and slip down in respecting other’s opinions and expectations.

In all likelihood, you would ignore your family, friends and health.

You can lose your peace and sleep.

Position that you now possess, can make you obsessed.

The above attracts Adversity, after your Advent to the Top.

What do you gain, when you fail to reach to the Top!

Best opportunities for learning lessons on how others get success and what causes failure.

When you are trailing, you are always looking ahead, get inspired to pull out your energy, efforts and enthusiasm unprecedentedly to accelerate and advance. You are trying to convert impossible into possible! This is the occasion, which you need to catch and analyze carefully. It can bring a major paradigm shift in your perceptions and help you to understand your hidden talent and energy.

You can learn to accept realities and appreciate others’ strengths.

You have possibility to identify your weak spots and convert these into your strengths, adversity into opportunity and despair into delight.

You learn to be patient.

You have unique privilege to be privy to:

How a successful person sustains his success and could continue being at top.

How a successful person could succumb to stress and situational complications.

How to manage challenges, conflicts and contradictions.

How to develop courage and convictions.

How to seek opportunities to create another peak.

How you can lose your command and control to adversities and fall prey to insinuations and instigations.

How complexities could work; yet simplicities not!

You do not have to necessarily invent the wheel and be prone to failures; you can rather consolidate and improve upon, what is already invented.

Now, your march towards the Top

If you have gone through the rigmarole of “what is there in losing and winning” and indeed understood, you would mature, leave past behind and move forward. You would discover that:

Success now does not go into your head and failure into your heart!

Successes and failures go concurrently like 2 sides of same coin; depending upon your attitude and approach, both could be equally bright or equally dull.

You are better prepared and polished.

You are ready, robust and rugged to take off.

You have versatility and vitality to march to the top, sustain and seek higher top!

At the end, an untold secret of Nature – the one, who saw the day later, could learn and leap more! So never ever mind to “play a second fiddle”.